Black History Month 2023 Timeline

1992 Led by visionary entrepreneur Bob Johnson, BET Holdings, the parent company of Black Entertainment Television, goes public and becomes the first company controlled by...

1987 Clifton Wharton, Jr. becomes the first Black CEO of one of the nation’s largest publicly traded corporations when he is appointed to the helm...

1987 Reginald Lewis’ TLC Group acquires Beatrice International Foods in a $985 million leveraged buyout, the era’s largest offshore transaction that created the first Black-owned...

1983 Rev. Jesse Jackson becomes the first African American to make a serious bid for the US presidency. His impressive showing enabled him to make...

1977 Appointed as US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by President Jimmy Carter, Patricia Roberts Harris was the first Black woman to serve on...

1974 Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson establishes first Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) program, which sets aside a percentage of government contracts for minority businesses. Creating a...

1971 Daniels & Bell became the first Black-owned investment banking firm to purchase a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. This NYSE member firm...

1970 Johnson Products Co., the largest Black haircare manufacturer that created Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen, became the first Black-owned company publicly traded on the...

1970 The first issue of BLACK ENTERPRISE, the bible of Black business, is published. BE would serve as our media company of record, chronicling and covering...